Kerala Muslim bodies lambast Jamaat-e-Islami for secret talks with RSS in Delhi

Several Muslim leaders in the State expressed displeasure at the parleys that a group of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders held with their RSS counterparts in New Delhi in January.

The Jamaat-e-Islami has invited sharp criticism from other Muslim organisations in Kerala for a recent dialogue it held with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Several Muslim leaders in the State expressed displeasure at the parleys that a group of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders held with their RSS counterparts in New Delhi in January. The talks were held in secret and the news was kept under wraps until it leaked a few days ago.

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Some of the Muslim organisations in Kerala went to the extent of saying that Jamaat-e-Islami was trying to cosy up to the RSS because it was afraid of the Hindu nationalist organistion and that it had some vested interests to protect.

The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the largest body of Islamic scholars in Kerala, has said that the Jamaat-e-Islami has let the Muslim community down by going for parleys with the RSS. Samastha Mushawara member Umer Faizy said that the Jamaat was afraid of the RSS.

Although the Samastha office-bearers have not made any formal comment about the development, Mr. Faizy’s comments represented the Samastha. Mr. Faizy is one of the hardcore leaders of the Samastha who always opposed any deviation from the traditional religious path.

The Kerala Muslim Jamat, a major Muslim organization led by Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, said that the Jamaat-e-Islami committed a historic blunder by engaging in friendly discussions with the RSS.